Method of manufacturing axles.



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' APPLICATION FILED SEPT. B, 1914.

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METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AXLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8, 1914.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915;

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" drawings. a

SYLVESTER NELSON, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AXLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Original application filed July 16, 1914, SeriaiNo. 851,254. Divided and this application filed September 8,

. 1914:. Serial No. 860,506.

To all "whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, SYLvnsTnn Nn1.sou,'a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Dptrbit, in the county of lVayne and State of lvfichigan, have invented cer* tain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Manufacturing Axles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying This is a division of my application filed July 16, 1914, Serial No. 851,254, for improvements in axle dies, and the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing axles, irrespective of any particular type of dies or apparatus.

The object of this invention is to provide a method by which automobile axles can be expeditiously and economically produced ready for installation in connection with other parts of a vehicle. The method involves, first, the upsetting or shaping of the ends of the blank to provide spring perches and heads; second, stamping or cutting the ends of the blank to form hooks; third, opening the hooks, and fourth, bending' and shaping the hooks to provide forks. These steps or operations are successively performed with a degree of accuracy that insures a minimum amount of Waste, and to carry such steps or operations into effect independent instrumentalities, suitable appa ratus,-or dies may be employed.

As illustrating one manner of carrying my invention into effect, I will describe,

with the assistance of the accompanying drawing, dies and a modus operandi as now practised by me. i

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an axle blank; Fig. 2 is a plan and elevation of an end of a blank having received the first operation involving my method; Fig. 3 is an elevation and section of a portion of the blank illustrating the second operation on the blank; Fig. i is a side elevation of a portion of the blank illustrating the third operation; Fig. 5 illustrates the fourth operation on the blank, showing the dies in plan; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of the dies illustrating the fifth operation on a blank; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of separated dies that can be advantageously used for carrying my method into effect.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 12 designates a blank in the form of a bar thatis rectan ular in cross section. The first operation upon the ends of this bar is that of, providing the sztme with spring perches- 16 and heads 15. This operation is accomplished by holding the bar and upsetting the ends thereof, the metal of the bar bulging or extending at such points as are permissible by the holding means of the blank. For holding the blank during this first operation, dies designated A and B of Fig. '7 can be employed, said dies having the confronting faces thereof provided with grooves 1 and grooved yieldable formers 4 to receive the end of the blank. With the axle blank frictionally held between the dies, an upsetting tool or header 13 is brought into engagement with the end of the blank. This tool has a recess '14:

is brought into action, the protruding end of the blank is upset and shaped in the enlarged ends of the grooves of the yieldable formers. Beside the outer ends of the blank being shaped by saidiormers and the recess in the header 13, the blank is upset at the ends of the grooves 1 of the dies and the ends of the grooves 8 in the yieldable formers. The spring perche's 16 are thus simultaneously formed with the heads 15 and the blank is now ready to receive the second operation.

The, second and successive operations are simply in connection with the head 15 and said head is pressed between the dies and recesses are shaped to form a hook shaped head having a shank 18, a bill 19 a tang 20 and a connecting web 21. After this second operation the head is shifted to a position between the dies where the web 21 can be punched or cut from the head. One of the dies has a punching member 25 in a recess 23 thereof, and the recess of the other die has an opening 24 for the removal of the cut web, without distorting the blank.

The next or fourth operation consists of opening the hook shaped end of the blank to form a fork and this can be accomplished upon the top of the dies by providing the die B with means for holding the blank and the die A with a hook opening member 28. This member is singularly disposed and adapted to engage the bill 19 of the blank hook, when the dies A and B are brought together. The hook is opened by bending the shanklS against a block '26 cooperating to rev, ceive the end of the blank and as said tool" '90 caused to enter stamping recesses 17. These with the pin 27 in properly holding the blank upon the dies. g

The blank-is now ready for a--.finishingand shaping operation which is accom plished by placing the blank in grooves 29 properly shaped and provided therefor in the confronting facesof the dies A and B. The blank held between the dies and the open hook in recesses 31, a finishing or shaping tool 32 enters'the recesses and properly shapes the fork, This is best illustrated in Fig. 6 and it will be observed that the operation which takes place is simply that of bending the shank and bill of the h'ook whereby the bill will aline with the tang and thus form a fork in which the knuckle of a wheel or steering apparatus can be ivo'tally mounted;

'rom the'above it will be observed that .the dies can be'advantageously used in connection with the tools for performing the various steps or operations of my improved method, yet, separate dies,-independen t devices, or other means can be employed, consequently, I do not care to confine my invention to any specific device or instrumentality for carrying the same into effect, than defined by the appended claims.

What I claimis 1. A method of manufacturing axles consisting of upsetting the end of an axle blank to' form a head, stamping the head to form a lflOOlk, and then opening the hook to form the or i.

2. A method of manufacturing axles consisting of upsetting the end of an axle blank to form a perch and a head, stamping and punching the blank head to form a hook, and then opening the hook to form a fork at the end of the blank.

3. A method of manufacturing axles from blanks, consisting of holding the blank between dies and upsetting the end thereof to form a head, stamping and punching the blank head to the shape of a hook, openin the bill of the hook to form a fork, an

then shaping the fork while the blank is held by the dies.

4. A method of manufacturing axles from blanks consisting in providing a blank with a hook shaped head, opening the hook shaped head and then shaping the head while-the blank is-held' between dies to form a fork.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SYLVESTER- NELSON.

Witnesses:

KARL H. BULTER, Gnniivinvn E. MCGRA'NN. 

